The basic guide to requirements for teaching English abroad

If you’re looking at joining the thousands of people every year who complete a TEFL, this is a good place to start. It’s a quick run through of the basic requirements for teaching English abroad, detailing the necessary qualifications you’ll have to have and some of the ones that schools will prefer, which you might want if you’re keen to apply to some of the better-paid and more competitive places around the globe.

The necessary requirements for teaching English abroad

Let’s start with the qualifications that are 100% nonnegotiable. These are the lines on your resume that you will simply HAVE to have completed to be able to start seriously applying for positions in the TEFL industry. It won’t matter if it’s a casual job in a rustic school up in the Colombian Andes or a lucrative city position in the heart of Tokyo, these are needed…

• English – It might seem obvious, but you will need to be able to speak English to be able to teach English. If you don’t, then well done on getting this far through this article! We would note that this isn’t a requirement to speak English as a native. Nope. There are now lots of TEFL schools willing to accept non-native speakers as applicants.
• A TEFL qualification – Virtually all employers now ask for some sort of TEFL certification. It’s a bit of a Wild West out there. You can do free courses that take a couple of hours, or you can spend thousands of dollars on courses run by word-leading universities. The best option is to pick a properly accredited TEFL provider (that means it will be recognized by schools all around the globe) and complete a 120-hour course, which is the most common level asked for by schools. That should quality you for virtually any job out there.

Non-necessary requirements for teaching English abroad

The truth is that the requirements for teaching English abroad vary wildly from destination to destination. In Japan, you’ll need a university education and native-level English. Cambodia doesn’t ask for either of those. It’s different again in Mexico and Spain, Italy and South Africa. Let’s run through some of the things that you might be required to show, but don’t have to have to start dipping your toe in the TEFL world…

• Native English – The reality of TEFL teaching today is that the top jobs tend to be reserved for native teachers. That’s generally defined as teachers who come from a country where English is the mother tongue, which means the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Lots of schoolswill test this by checking where you hold a passport or citizenship.
• A college/university degree – The upper cohort of higher-paying jobs in the TEFL industry usually ask for a BA or a BSc degree, or some equivalent from a higher education institution. However, a college degree is more commonly a requirement on application for national working visas, which means this is your ticket to get inside the country, not an English school per se.
• Previous teaching experience – Again, not required, but very much a plus. Previous teaching experience is often stipulated as a necessary on applications, but we wouldn’t discourage you from applying if you think you’re still a star candidate. What it will do is give you the confidence to know that you can do the job and let you talk in detail about your specific TEFL skills at interview stage.

Some extra requirements that you might want to think about

There are some other things that we think TEFL teachers should often think about mentioning when they come to apply for that dream job in Thailand or that tutoring position in Brazil. They aren’t usually listed as must-have qualifications, but can really help you stand out from the crowd…

• Organizational skills/experience – Teaching jobs both online and offline involve a lot of organization and project management. You need to manage homework tasks, reporting, feedback, parent liaison – the list goes on. If you can show that you know how to go about all that then you can really improve your position.
• Social aspects – Schools want to hire people that will gel with their current staff and vibe. Show you’re outgoing, easy-going, and ready to socialize and it can help your prospects.
• Love of travel – The TEFL industry is full of people who LOVE travel. Just look at us! Share that passion for experiencing new places and new cultures and it can really look great on a job application. Don’t push it too hard, though – you don’t want to make it seem as if you’ll be gone as soon as a cheap flight pops up!

This guide outlines the basic requirements for teaching English abroad. If you think you’ve got what it takes, be sure to check out our destinations page. Or, if you’re ready to complete that TEFL qualification, check out our courses page.